Exploit-DB ↔ searchsploit — How They Relate
Ctrl+F:
exploit-db.com·EDB-ID·/usr/share/exploitdb·-m·-x·5092·50337
Short answer: Exploit-DB is the public website of known exploits. searchsploit is the command-line search tool that queries a local offline copy of that same database on Kali (/usr/share/exploitdb/).
Same exploit, three views:
| View | Example (EDB 5092) |
|---|---|
| Website | https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/5092 |
| Local path | /usr/share/exploitdb/exploits/linux/local/5092.c |
| searchsploit ID | 5092 or path slug linux/local/5092 |
Full tool workflow → searchsploit
📌 One exploit — all three identifiers
When you run:
searchsploit -m linux/local/5092You get output like:
Exploit: Linux Kernel 2.6.17 < 2.6.24.1 - 'vmsplice' Local Privilege Escalation (2)
URL: https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/5092
Path: /usr/share/exploitdb/exploits/linux/local/5092.c
Codes: OSVDB-41853, CVE-2008-0600, CVE-2008-0010, CVE-2008-0009
Verified: True
File Type: C source, ASCII text
Copied to: /home/kali/boxes/5092.c| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Exploit | Human-readable title on Exploit-DB |
| URL | Online page — read comments, alternate links, metadata |
| Path | File on Kali under /usr/share/exploitdb/exploits/ |
| Codes | Linked CVEs / OSVDB IDs |
| Copied to | Where -m (mirror) placed the file in your cwd |
Path structure:
/usr/share/exploitdb/exploits/<platform>/<type>/<EDB-ID>.<ext>
Examples:
linux/local/5092.c → local privesc (Linux kernel)
linux/webapps/50383.sh → web app RCE
windows/local/50337.ps1 → Windows local privesc (XAMPP)| Path segment | Meaning |
|---|---|
linux / windows / multiple | Target OS |
local | Local privilege escalation |
remote | Remote exploit |
webapps | Web application |
| Number | EDB-ID — same as URL /exploits/NNNNN |
📌 Website ↔ CLI mapping
Google / browser Kali terminal
───────────────── ─────────────
exploit-db.com/exploits/5092 ←→ searchsploit -x 5092
searchsploit -m 5092
searchsploit -m linux/local/5092
exploit-db.com/search?q=xampp ←→ searchsploit xampp
CVE-2020-11107 page ←→ searchsploit --cve CVE-2020-11107
| Goal | Command |
|---|---|
| Search by keyword | searchsploit "Apache 2.4.49" |
| Search by CVE | searchsploit --cve CVE-2020-11107 |
| Read exploit in pager | searchsploit -x 5092 |
Copy exploit to ./ | searchsploit -m 5092 |
| Local privesc only | searchsploit -l ubuntu 4.4 |
| Update local DB | sudo searchsploit -u |
📌 Install & update (Kali)
sudo apt install -y exploitdb
sudo searchsploit -u # sync local mirror with Exploit-DBPackage exploitdb installs:
/usr/share/exploitdb/— exploit files/usr/bin/searchsploit— CLI front-end
📌 Typical OSCP chain
1. nmap -sC -sV TARGET → exact version string
2. searchsploit "SERVICE VER" → EDB-ID + path
3. searchsploit -x EDB-ID → read code, check LHOST/arch
4. searchsploit -m EDB-ID → copy to cwd, compile/adapt
5. Run OR search msfconsole → search exploit-db EDB-ID
Example — kernel privesc after uname -r:
searchsploit ubuntu 4.4.0
searchsploit -l linux kernel 4.4 --exclude="(DoS|PoC)"
searchsploit --cve CVE-2016-5195
searchsploit -m linux/local/40847
gcc 40847.c -o dirtycow -pthreadExample — Windows XAMPP privesc:
searchsploit xampp
searchsploit --cve CVE-2020-11107
searchsploit -m 50337
# → [[XAMPP - CVE-2020-11107 Privilege Escalation]]📌 searchsploit vs Metasploit vs browser
| Method | When |
|---|---|
| searchsploit -m | Need source to read/edit/compile; OSCP manual exploit |
| searchsploit -x | Quick read without copying |
| exploit-db.com in browser | Comments, screenshots, alternate PoCs |
msfconsole search | Stable module exists — faster on exam |
| linux-exploit-suggester | Kernel privesc — suggests CVEs → then searchsploit --cve |
msfconsole -q
search exploit-db 50383
search type:exploit name:xampp→ Msfconsole · MetaSploit
📌 EDB-ID quick reference (examples in this vault)
| EDB-ID | CVE / topic | Vault note |
|---|---|---|
| 5092 | CVE-2008-0600 — Linux vmsplice kernel LPE | Kernel privesc — compile from -m linux/local/5092 |
| 46978 | lxc/LXD group privesc | lxc - LXD Privilege Escalation - EDB 46978 |
| 50337 | CVE-2020-11107 — XAMPP Control Panel | XAMPP - CVE-2020-11107 Privilege Escalation |
More version hits → Version CVEs
📌 When searchsploit returns nothing
| Next step | Tool |
|---|---|
Google CVE + version | Browser |
| PoC repo | trickest/cve → Reference |
| Web enum | Nikto, Gobuster |
| Windows patches | winExploitSuggester |
| Linux kernel | linux-exploit-suggester |